[sustran] Re: transit in Mexico city

[kisan mehta]

Dear Sustran colleagues,

We have been reading exchanges on the cycleways and
cycling facilities for the poor in Mexico City..  We are
a late entrant in the exhange and hence are rushing mail
to draw the attention of our colleagues to the fact that for
large megalopolises like Mexico City and for that matter
Mumbai no one alternative can be the only way out
for smooth movement of men and goods.

Large cities need to have comprehensive and integrated
movement programme comprising of suburban trains, public
road buses, taxies,  safe cycleways, non-motorised traffic,
safe and direct pedestrian walking facilities.  To make
these modes work perfectly and in harmony, there has to be
severe curbs on movement and parking of personal vehicles.

Experience in Mumbai and other cities in the poor countries
shows motorways, expressways, elevated roads, flyovers have
increased  the number of  personal vehicles on narrow roads
and increased traffic jams.   Another aspect is affordability
by bulk of residents.    Importance of cycling cannot never be understimated
and cycleways can be used for short journeys too.

Poor countries are being asked to build more roads,
expressways, etc for smooth flow of personal vehicles
despite the fact that only a small %age of citizens
use or afford personal cars.

The split up in Mumbai is 86% journeys are by public road
and suburban trains, 6 % by taxies and rikshaws and balance
by private cars. (no traffic study ever takes into account
walking and cycling as traffic).  Authorities still spend
disproportionately large part of public revenues on roads
that suits the personal car.  Result is increase in road
fatalities and citizen hardship.   Best wishes.

Priya Salvi and Kisan Mehta